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40 Punjab youth missing enroute to spain, parents seek action against travel agents
Satinder Bains
Tuesday, 19 January 2010
CHANDIGARH: Punjab Congress MLA from Bholath Sukhpal Singh Khaira on Tuesday sought strict action against unscrupulous travel agents who are responsible for sending 40 youth to spain, missing enroute for the last five years.
Addressing a Press conference here Tuesday, Khaira accompanied by the parents of missing youth said that Instead of taking them to Spain, the agent took them to Mali in Africa in November 2004. The last call that the parents of Arun Kumar, one of the boys, received was on 24-12-2004 who disclosed that the said agent had promised to take them from Mali to Spain in a boat. Thereafter the parents of these 37 youths lost contact with the boys and were reported missing for the last 5 years.
Khaira led a deputation of aggrieved parents to Preneet Kaur Minister of State External Affairs GOI at her residence New Moti Bagh Palace, Patiala on Jan 5.
Khaira said that 37 young boys aged between 18-25 had left Punjab in the year 2004 through an unscrupulous travel agent who had promised them safe passage to Spain in Europe. Three others had gone separately. The Punjab police has failed to take any action against the accused agents.
Mangat Ram of village Pandori in Hoshiarpur father of a missing youth told Punjabnewsline.com that Bhulath based agent Manjit Singh Pandori had sent their children and they were received in South Aferica by his brother Satrnam Singh Pandori. He said that Satnam Singh had called them and asked to pay RS.3 lakh for each boiy to his brother Manjit Singh. They paid the money and after that their wards went missing. Three others had gone through a Mohali based agent Prabhjit Singh. The parents claimed that they ahd paid Rs.7 lakh per person.
On December 31, 2009, one boy Jaswant Singh called his uncle Sukhdev Singh of V. Jalal Nangal Distt. Hoshiarpur to tell him that all these 37 boys who had been duped by the agent were languishing in a Moroccan jail for the last 5 years without any ray of hope.
Khaira said, "Thereafter, Sukhdev Singh and parents of other boys approached me, therefore, I took up the issue of affected families with Preneet Kaur".
Preneet Kaur MOS External Affairs telephonically directed her office in New Delhi urging her staff to take up the matter immediately with the Indian High Commission in Morocco as well as South Africa.
She assured Khaira and the delegation of a thorough probe and appropriate action to get the boys released from Moroccan jail if they are found there. She also assured to have the matter taken up with the South African govt.
Khaira said that Preneet Kaur on Tuesday informed him that the Acting High Commissioner of
India in South Africa has sent a fax to her office upgrading the facts about missing youth.
Shambhu S Kumaran, the acting high commissioner of India in South Africa has informed that no indivisuals under given names are in South Aferica Jails presently. It has caused tension to the parenst of youth.
That the families of the missing youth appeal to the Prime Minister of India Dr. Manmohan Singh Ji and a UPA Chairperson Smt. Sonia Gandhi to intervene in the matter and secure the release of their children gone missing since 2004.
The youth missing have been identified as Lakhwinder Singh son of Balkar Singh village Bhadas, Gurpreet Singh son of Bhajan Singh village Nangal Lubana, Amandeep Singh son of Raman Singh village Begowal, Jatinder Singh son of Lehmber Singh village Rurka Kalan, Davinder Singh son of Balvir Singh village Mehsopur, Lehmbar Singh son of Nirmal Singh village Madhwan, Vijay Kumar son of Gurdas Ram village Thigli, Gurjit Singh son of Balvir Singh village Sandhwa Dona, Harjinder Singh son of Jai Singh village Badiala, Sukhjinder Singh son of Jeet Singh village Hassowal, Gulab Das son of Lashkar Ram village village Begowal, Manjit Singh son of Gurmeet Singh village Maksoodpur, Sukhwinder Singh son of Chain Singh village of Ghazi Gadana, Harjinder Singh son of Gurbux Singh village Hassuwal, Jaber Singh son of Jagir Singh village Mandkula and Mandep Singh son of Kashmir Singh village Ballochak (all from district Kapurthala).
Charanjit Singh son of Jarnail Singh village Mehmedpur, Ranjit Singh son of Mohinder Singh village Surapur, Sarbjit Singh son of Jarnail Singh village Cheer Majara, Hardeep Singh son of Jarnail Singh village Daprial, Kashmir Singh son ofMehnga Singh village Daulatpur, Kuldip Singh son of Sucha Singh village Chokra, Baljinder Singh son of Gurpal Singh Ramgarh, Baljinder Singh son of Niranjan Singh village Sakohpur, Balwinder Singh son of Niranjan Singh Sakhopur. (All from Nanwanshehar district).
Joga Singh son of Talwara Singh village Churpur, Surinder Singh son of Sukhwinder Singh village Dagampur, Tirath Singh son of Gulzar village Mohanwala, Arun Kumar son of Mangat Ram village Pandori, Manjit Singh son of Dharam Singh village Nathupur, and Amrik Singh son of Darshan Singh village Nadamon.(All from Hoshiarpur distict).
Avtar Singh son of Amar Singh village Mansoorwal Bet in Ropar district, Daljit Singh son of Surta Singh village Bal Sarai, Gurbax Singh son of Nirnajan Singh Daulo Nangal(both Amritsar district), Manjit Singh of Ludhiana district and Rajesh Kumar son of Darshan Lal and Ashok Kumar son of Janak Raj from village Matour in Mohali district are also missing enroute to spain, the parents said.
Addressing a Press conference here Tuesday, Khaira accompanied by the parents of missing youth said that Instead of taking them to Spain, the agent took them to Mali in Africa in November 2004. The last call that the parents of Arun Kumar, one of the boys, received was on 24-12-2004 who disclosed that the said agent had promised to take them from Mali to Spain in a boat. Thereafter the parents of these 37 youths lost contact with the boys and were reported missing for the last 5 years.
Khaira led a deputation of aggrieved parents to Preneet Kaur Minister of State External Affairs GOI at her residence New Moti Bagh Palace, Patiala on Jan 5.
Khaira said that 37 young boys aged between 18-25 had left Punjab in the year 2004 through an unscrupulous travel agent who had promised them safe passage to Spain in Europe. Three others had gone separately. The Punjab police has failed to take any action against the accused agents.
Mangat Ram of village Pandori in Hoshiarpur father of a missing youth told Punjabnewsline.com that Bhulath based agent Manjit Singh Pandori had sent their children and they were received in South Aferica by his brother Satrnam Singh Pandori. He said that Satnam Singh had called them and asked to pay RS.3 lakh for each boiy to his brother Manjit Singh. They paid the money and after that their wards went missing. Three others had gone through a Mohali based agent Prabhjit Singh. The parents claimed that they ahd paid Rs.7 lakh per person.
On December 31, 2009, one boy Jaswant Singh called his uncle Sukhdev Singh of V. Jalal Nangal Distt. Hoshiarpur to tell him that all these 37 boys who had been duped by the agent were languishing in a Moroccan jail for the last 5 years without any ray of hope.
Khaira said, "Thereafter, Sukhdev Singh and parents of other boys approached me, therefore, I took up the issue of affected families with Preneet Kaur".
Preneet Kaur MOS External Affairs telephonically directed her office in New Delhi urging her staff to take up the matter immediately with the Indian High Commission in Morocco as well as South Africa.
She assured Khaira and the delegation of a thorough probe and appropriate action to get the boys released from Moroccan jail if they are found there. She also assured to have the matter taken up with the South African govt.
Khaira said that Preneet Kaur on Tuesday informed him that the Acting High Commissioner of
India in South Africa has sent a fax to her office upgrading the facts about missing youth.
Shambhu S Kumaran, the acting high commissioner of India in South Africa has informed that no indivisuals under given names are in South Aferica Jails presently. It has caused tension to the parenst of youth.
That the families of the missing youth appeal to the Prime Minister of India Dr. Manmohan Singh Ji and a UPA Chairperson Smt. Sonia Gandhi to intervene in the matter and secure the release of their children gone missing since 2004.
The youth missing have been identified as Lakhwinder Singh son of Balkar Singh village Bhadas, Gurpreet Singh son of Bhajan Singh village Nangal Lubana, Amandeep Singh son of Raman Singh village Begowal, Jatinder Singh son of Lehmber Singh village Rurka Kalan, Davinder Singh son of Balvir Singh village Mehsopur, Lehmbar Singh son of Nirmal Singh village Madhwan, Vijay Kumar son of Gurdas Ram village Thigli, Gurjit Singh son of Balvir Singh village Sandhwa Dona, Harjinder Singh son of Jai Singh village Badiala, Sukhjinder Singh son of Jeet Singh village Hassowal, Gulab Das son of Lashkar Ram village village Begowal, Manjit Singh son of Gurmeet Singh village Maksoodpur, Sukhwinder Singh son of Chain Singh village of Ghazi Gadana, Harjinder Singh son of Gurbux Singh village Hassuwal, Jaber Singh son of Jagir Singh village Mandkula and Mandep Singh son of Kashmir Singh village Ballochak (all from district Kapurthala).
Charanjit Singh son of Jarnail Singh village Mehmedpur, Ranjit Singh son of Mohinder Singh village Surapur, Sarbjit Singh son of Jarnail Singh village Cheer Majara, Hardeep Singh son of Jarnail Singh village Daprial, Kashmir Singh son ofMehnga Singh village Daulatpur, Kuldip Singh son of Sucha Singh village Chokra, Baljinder Singh son of Gurpal Singh Ramgarh, Baljinder Singh son of Niranjan Singh village Sakohpur, Balwinder Singh son of Niranjan Singh Sakhopur. (All from Nanwanshehar district).
Joga Singh son of Talwara Singh village Churpur, Surinder Singh son of Sukhwinder Singh village Dagampur, Tirath Singh son of Gulzar village Mohanwala, Arun Kumar son of Mangat Ram village Pandori, Manjit Singh son of Dharam Singh village Nathupur, and Amrik Singh son of Darshan Singh village Nadamon.(All from Hoshiarpur distict).
Avtar Singh son of Amar Singh village Mansoorwal Bet in Ropar district, Daljit Singh son of Surta Singh village Bal Sarai, Gurbax Singh son of Nirnajan Singh Daulo Nangal(both Amritsar district), Manjit Singh of Ludhiana district and Rajesh Kumar son of Darshan Lal and Ashok Kumar son of Janak Raj from village Matour in Mohali district are also missing enroute to spain, the parents said.
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